Corrugated end wall for railway cars



G. E.V c ouTANT CORRUGATED END WALL FOR RAILWAY GARS Filed oct. 2. 1925 ...Alallull:1l.

Oct. 11,1927.

Zhvefz for $919@ E. L", uan

Patented Get. 11, T1927.

UNITED STATES retain PATENT orrlcs.

GEORGE E. COUT-SANT, DECATUB, lLLNOS, ASSIGNB, TO UNON IJETAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHECAGO, ILLINOES, A CORPORATION OF DELAVJARE.

CORRUGATED END WALL FOR RAILWAY CARS.

`Application filed October 2, 1925. Serial No. 60,057.v

The ends of railway cars are subject to considerable stress due to the shifting of the lading which is caused by the heavy locomotives, the automatic air brake, the hump and other modern railway service conditions. These thrusts may be local, tending to distort the end in some particular spot,

as, for example, when a piece of piping or lumber shifts lengthwise, or a load of plastic material, such as grain, sand or chats may shift, imparting a blow over a large area of the end wall, whereas rail, steel plates, castings and the like cause blows at the bottom of the car. From the above, it is apparent that a railway car end must be strong throughout its entire area. Experience shows that a stronger end wall is needed adjacent the floor of the ear because the blows against this portion of the car wall are more frequent and more severe than at the middle or upper portion thereof. Y Very little strength is needed adjacent the top of the car wall and the strength required at the middle of the car wall is more than needed at the Y top and less than needed at they bottom. Furthermore, considerably more strength i required at or near the vertical middle of the wall than adjacent the sides of the wall, because the side portions are held in and supported against a. shifting lading by the side walls of the car. Also plastic ladings, such as sand and grain, have a greater tendency to shift at the middle of the car tha elsewhere.

lVhile, of course, efforts are made to block 'the lading in the car, the shocks caused by the heavy locomotives, the emergency air brake and the classication hump tear the lading away from its moorings and throw it against the side walls of the car.

A rigid end to a car, and particularly. large car, materially strengthens the entire superstructure to resist the torsional andweaving movements which not only rack the car to pieces, but cause leaky roofs and inoperative and leaky doors with their consequent damage claims. As it costs as much to transport a ton of freight car as it does a ton of lading it is imperative that the weight of the ear must be kept as low as possible, therefore, the end must be very light as well as strong. As freight cars are frequently damaged in' wrecks and by other unfair usage, any endk will probably be damaged in service, therefore, it must be capable of being easily repaired with such meagre facilities as the railroads are equipped with at their outlying repair points.

My invention relates to the construction of railway cars and moreparticularly to metal end structures or walls for railway cars made of one or more'metallic plates or panels formed with integral reinforcing stiifening or bracing corrugations. However, the construction may be used in car side walls. lt is readily adaptable to boX, gondola, stock or other types of railway equipment.

One of the objects of my invenion is to provide a metallic end Vwall made of one or more metallic plates with reinforcing corrugations or'panels formed therein wherein the major or `stronger corrugations are formed and positioned to take the major load and the minor or relatively weaker corrugations are formed and positioned to strengthen the remainder of the end wall.

Another object of the invention isto provide a relatively deep vertical corrugation adjacent the middle of the car and relatively shallower corrugations between the deeper corrugation and the Yside walls of the 'car' whereby the ends of the car and the iixtures attached thereto all come within the lnterdi;

state Commerce Commission clearances so that it is not necessary to either decrease the inside length of the car or to increase the train length of the car in order tof provide the deeper corrugations. j

The Interstate Commerce Commission order of March 13, 1911, reads as follows:

No part of car aboveY endsills within thirty (30) inches from side of car, except butler-block, brakefshaft, brakewheel, brakestep, running-board -or uncoupling lever shall V*extend to within twelve (12)` inches of a vertical plane parallel with end of car and passing through the inside face of knuckle when closed with coupler-'horn against the buffer-block or end-sill, andno other part of end of'car or fiXtures'on same above end-sills, other than exceptions herein noted, shall extend beyond-the outer face of buifer-block; Y l

Janother object of the invention is to provide primary corrugations extending substantially from the underframe to the ridge pole (or other roof framing) which members form excellent means for attachment lou' ridge pole.

and to provide other secondary corrugations which spring from the primary corrugations and terminate at their opposite ends into the original plane of the plate' adjacent the side wall of the car, thus providing accommodations for a Weather-prooi anchorage for the outer ends of the secondary corrugations. Such a construction permits of theV use of very light end sills and end plates; in fact, integral flanges (1G-17) might be used for these members, as illustrated.

In some cars, particularly steel cars, it might be advisable to run the deeper corrugations horizontally and the shallower corrugations vertically or substantially so.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is an end elevation of a railway box car with my invention applied thereon. Fig. 2 is a. section on line 2-2 oi Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view ot Fig. l.

Fig. 4; is a section on line 1 4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. l.

The end wall may be made ot one or more metallic plates but in my preferred form I make it of two plates secured together along the center line of the end either horizontally or vertically as the case may be. In such a construction the corrugated plates are symmetrical about the line of the connecting means.

The end wall is provided with relatively deep vertical corrugations leadjacent its center line 2 which extend to approximately the bottom of the end wall adjacent the undertrame 3 and any convenient means may be used to secure the end wall to the underframe. The top of these vertical corrugations l extend in close proximity to the ridge pole l of the car and anyA convenient means maybe used to secure the end wall 'to the These corrugations 1 are the primary corrugations of the reinforced end and take the major part of the thrust'oic the shifting load and transmit it to the underA frame and ridge pole, respectively. 0n account O their location near the center ot 'the car they may be made very deep, and conse- Vquently, very strong` and still come within .the Interstate Commerce Commission clearcar. There are two advantages in making the secondary corrugations shallower than the primary corrugations. FirstgIt will be noted that the secondary corrugations merge y into one oli' thewalls of one of the primary corrugations leaving airemaining portion l0. .which has considerable strength. It the secondary corrugations were as deep as the primary corrugations there would be no outer wall to the primary corrugations. Secondly: The shallower corrugations allows the end ladder 1l, end grab iron l2and brake mast 13 to be applied within the Interstate Commerce Commission' clearances. The outer ends oit' the secondary corrugations 5 merge into the original plane et the plate adjacent the side wall of the car and any convenient means may be used to attach the vertical outer edge of the end wall to the side wall or to the framing ot the car.

l/Vhile it is true that an end wall must be stronger adjacent its bottom portion and also adjacent its middle portion, yet an end wall must be very strong over its entire arca in order to resist the longitudinal end thrust of plastic ladino's, as well as the local concentrated thrust of the shifting pieces ot lading. In my arrangement of corrugations any horizontal load exerted upon the end wall between the primary corrugations and the side wall ot the car is transmitted by the secondary corrugations thereto. rlhe secondary corrugations are positioned so that they do not transmit any of their load (eX- cept the few corrugations 14-15) to the end sill or end plate, respectively, therefore, these members can be made very light.

The secondary corrugations are preferably made contiguous and sinuous, as shown in Fig. 5, so that they have a spring like action and the deflection of one corrugation transmits part of its load to the adjacent corrugations.

I claim: A

l. A metallic plate end wall for a railway c'ar provided'with a plurality of relatively deep corrugations adjacent the center ot the end wall, and a plurality of corrugations with one end merging into one end ot' said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate, the last mentionedr corrugations being shallower than said deep corrugations where they merge into them.

2. A metallic plate end wall for a railway car provided with a plurality of relatively deep vertical corrugations adjacent the center of the end wall, and a plurality ot corrugations with one end merging into one end of said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the Original plane of the plate the last mentioned corrugations being shallower than said deep corrugations where they merge into them.

3'. A metallic'plate end wall for a railway car provided with' a plurality of relatively deep corrugations adjacent the center ot the end wall, and a plurality of sh'allowercorrugations with one end merging into one end `of said deep corrugations and the other end merging into. the originalV pla-ne of' the plate, the last mentioned corrugations being shallower than said deep corrugations where they merge into them.

4. A metallic plate end wall for a railway car provided with a plurality of relatively deep vertical corrugations adjacent the center or' the end wall7 and a plurality of shallower corrugations` with one end merging into one end or said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate, the last mentioned corrugatione being shallower than said deep corrugatione where they merge into them.

5. A metallic plate end wall for a railway car provided with a plurality of relatively deep corrugations adjacent the center or" the end wall, and a plurality of shallower diagonal corrugations with one end merging into one end ol said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate, the last mentioned corrugatione being shallower than said deep corrugatione where they merge in-to them.

6. A metallic plate end wall for a railway car provided with a plurality of relativelyv deep vertical corrugations adjacent the center of the end wall, andv a plurality oi' shallower diagonal corrugations with one end merging into one end of said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate7 the last mentioned corrugations being shallower than said deep corrugations where they merge into them.

7. A metallic plate end wall lor a railway car provided with a plurality of relatively deep corrugations adjacent the center oil the end wall. and a plurality of shallo-wer, diagonal, contiguous corrugations with one end merging into one end of said deep corruga# tions and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate.

8. A metallic plate end wall for a railway car provided with a plurality of relatively` deep vertical corrugations adjacent the center of the end wall, and a plurality of Shallower, diagonal, contiguous corrugations with one end merging into one end of said deep corrugations and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate.

9. ein end wall for a railway car comprising two metallic plates secured together alo ig a central line, said plates each formed with a corrugation ha fing an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said sheets also formed with a plurality of corrugations with one end merging into said inner wall and the otherl end merging into the original plane oi the plate.

10. Ancud wall for a railway car comprising two metallic platee secured together along a central vertical line, said plates each formed with a vertical corrugation having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said sheets also formed with a plurality or' corrugations with one end merging into said inner wall and the other end merging into the original plane of therplate.

1]. An end wall for a railway car comprising two metallic plates secured together along a central line, said plates each formed with acorrugation having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said sheets also formed with a plurality of shallower corrugations with one end merging into said inner wall and the other end merging into the orig inal plane of the plate.

l2. An end wall for a railway car comprising two metallic plates secured together along a central vertical lin-e, said plates each formed with a vertical corrugation iaving an inner wall and an outer wall. each of Said sheets also formed with a plurality oit shallower corrugations with one end merging into said inner wall and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate.

13. .an end wall for a railway car comprising two metallic plates'secured together along a central line, said plates each formed with a corrugation having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said sheets also formed with a plurality of shallower, diagonal corrugations with one end merging into said inner wall and the other end merging into the original plane of the plate.

lll. in end wall for a railway car comprising two metallic plates secured together along central vertical line7 said plates each tormed with a vertical corrugation having an inner wall and an outer wall, each of said sheets also formed with a plurality of Shallower, diagonal corrugatione with one end merging into said inner wall and the other end merging into the original plane ol the plate. Y

GEORGE E. COUTANT. 

